USA Baseball Announces 2018 14U NTDP Roster

2018 14U NTDP will take place July 23-27 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex

July 9, 2018

DURHAM, N.C. - The 2018 14U National Team Development Program (NTDP) roster was announced by USA Baseball on Monday. The final 40-man roster has been named following the conclusion of the 2018 14U National Team Championships in Arizona and Florida. The 14U NTDP will take place at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, July 23-27.

The National Team Development Program offers identified athletes an opportunity to connect with USA Baseball staff to better prepare for future national team experiences. The program includes skill development sessions, off-field education seminars and intrasquad Stars vs. Stripes games to assist in the development of the athletes as people and players.

"USA Baseball is excited to welcome these forty athletes to our National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, for the 14U National Team Development Program," said Senior Director of Baseball Operations Ashley Bratcher. "All of these young men impressed our staff and task force at our National Team Identification Series and the National Team Championships with their talent and character, and we are eager to get to know each of them better and provide them with a comprehensive development opportunity they cannot get anywhere else."

Of the 40 players on the roster, 15 are alumni of the 2016 USA Baseball 12U National Team, including Kai Caranto (Santa Clarita, Calif.) and Owen Egan (Yucaipa, Calif.) who also played together on the 2017 12U Team that won a gold medal at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup in Tainan, Taiwan. In addition to being an alumnus of the 12U National Team, Tyler Avery joins the 14U NTDP for the second consecutive year after participating in last year's program.

Former USA Baseball 15U National Team assistant coach Troy Cameron will oversee the program as the field coordinator in 2018.

For the second year in a row, 18 athletes from the 14U NTDP will be selected to the 2018 15U National Team Trials. Phase 1 of 15U Trials will feature 72 athletes and begin on July 29 at the National Training Complex. Phase 2 will begin on August 1 and will feature 34 athletes vying for a spot on the final 20-man national team roster. The 15U National Team will compete in the 2018 WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup in David, Panama.

In 2017, Davis Diaz and Josh Hartle both won a gold medal with the 15U National Team at the COPABE Pan Am "AA" Championships in Cartagena, Colombia, after earning a spot at the 15U National Team Trials following their performance at the 14U NTDP.

Players are selected for the National Team Development Program based on their participation and performance at USA Baseball events. Recommendations from professional scouts, USA Baseball task force members and collegiate, high school and youth coaches at USA Baseball events play a role in the selection process for the National Team Development Program.

The USA Baseball 13U National Team Identification Series (NTIS) and the 14U National Team Championships in Arizona and Florida served as the primary identification event for the 14U National Team Development Program. In total, 25 athletes at the 2018 14U NTDP are new to USA Baseball following their participation in sanctioned identification events.

For more information on the National Team Development Program please visit USABaseball.com or follow @USABaseballNTDP on Twitter.

The roster for the 14U National Team Development program is as follows:

2018 14U National Team Development Program Roster(Name; Position; Hometown)

USA Baseball Announces Modifications to National Team Identification Series

DURHAM, N.C. - USA Baseball announced modifications to its National Team Identification Series (NTIS) on Wednesday. Beginning in 2019, the NTIS will operate under a new infrastructure that features six total regions spanning the United States and the introduction of a 12-and-under age group to the program. Subsequently, the 17-and-under age group has been removed from the NTIS.

The NTIS continues to be the most comprehensive national team identification program offered by USA Baseball. Launched in 2009, the program was created to provide all athletes from across the United States an opportunity to compete for a spot on a USA Baseball national team.

Player identification in the NTIS begins at the local level, where athletes attend camps and tryouts in their designated region. Every region will name 32 athletes from each of the 11U, 12U and 13U age groups, and 36 athletes from each of the 14U, 15U and 16U age groups, to two All-Region teams that will participate in the NTIS Champions Cup at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.

The culminating event will feature 12 teams per age group and athletes will participate in workouts and a championship-style tournament while being evaluated by national team coaches and scouts. Following the Champions Cup, USA Baseball will invite a minimum of 72 athletes to national team and National Team Development Program (NTDP) events in the subsequent calendar year.

"As participation in youth baseball continues to rise, it is our duty to adapt and modernize USA Baseball initiatives to fit the ever-changing youth baseball landscape," said Paul Seiler, USA Baseball's Executive Director and CEO. "Our National Team Identification Series continues to be our most inclusive athlete identification process and we are confident these modifications will continue to serve USA Baseball, its national teams and athletes with an unrivaled standard of excellence."

Formerly comprised of 16 regions, the NTIS will now utilize a six-region system for the initial player identification process. The six regions consist of the Midwest, Northeast, Northwest, South, Southeast and Southwest.

All six NTIS regions will be managed and operated by a USA Baseball-appointed Regional Director. Each Regional Director is responsible for the planning and execution of the player identification process for their assigned region(s), and will ultimately name the All-Region teams that will move on to the NTIS Champions Cup. The USA Baseball regional directors for 2019 are Rich Janor (Midwest), Andy Rojo (South, Southwest), Jeff Schaefer (Northeast, Southeast) and Jason Sekany (Northwest).

"USA Baseball Regional Directors play a vital role in the overall success of the National Team Identification Series and USA Baseball national teams," said Ashley Bratcher, Senior Director of Baseball Operations. "These individuals are responsible for finding the very best athletes from every corner of the country to represent Team USA in international competitions around the world. USA Baseball can attribute a great deal of its recent international successes to the contributions of our regional directors."

The 12-and-under age group will debut in the NTIS program in 2019 and will serve as an identification event for the present year's USA Baseball 12U National Team, in addition to being a once-in-a-lifetime development and scouting exposure opportunity for athletes at this age level. USA Baseball regional directors will select 15 12U internationally-age-eligible athletes from each region to compete in the USA Baseball National Open in California, where the 12U National Team coaching staff will invite a minimum of 15 athletes to participate in national team trials.

"We are excited to introduce the twelve-and-under age group to our National Team Identification Series program this year," continued Bratcher. "The twelve-and-under age group is afforded a truly unique experience as they are the only age group in the entire National Team Identification Series program that are eligible for an immediate national team opportunity in the current calendar year."

Lastly, the 17-and-under age group has been eliminated from the NTIS program going forward. For information on the identification process for the 18U National Team, please visit USABaseball.com.

The 2019 NTIS identification process will begin at various times across all six regions after the new year. Information on regional camps and tryouts, as well as contact information for the regional directors, can be found at USABaseballNTIS.com.

Athletes selected to their All-Region team will participate in the 2019 NTIS Champions Cup at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, from August 7-25. The age group pairing and dates are as follows:

Team USA Captures Gold, Defeats Panama 17-2

CHITRE, Panama - Bobby Witt Jr. (Colleyville, Texas) hit for the cycle and Jack Leiter (Summit, N.J.) was masterful on the mound as Team USA (9-0) defeated Panama 17-2 in the gold medal game of the 2018 COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championship on Sunday at Rico Cedeno Stadium.

The victory marked the fifth consecutive COPABE U-18 Pan-American championship for the stars and stripes and is the eighth-straight gold medal for the USA Baseball 18U National Team in international competitions dating back to 2011.

The U.S. also clinched its spot in the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation U-18 Baseball World Cup. Team USA is the four-time defending world champion.

Starting pitcher Leiter set the tone in the gold medal game from the very first pitch for the red, white and blue, striking out five of the first six batters he faced in the first two innings. Leiter (2-0) dominated on the mound, earning the victory and striking out nine batters in his four innings of work.

Offensively, Witt Jr. was the catalyst for the U.S. He kick-started the offense in the bottom of the second inning, collecting a single to centerfield and later scored the first run of the game on two Panama throwing errors.

The stars and stripes blew the game wide open in the third, scoring nine runs on nine hits to give the team a commanding 10-0 lead. Anthony Volpe (Watchung, N.J.) knocked in C.J. Abrams (Alpharetta, Ga.) with an RBI-single for first run of the frame and Riley Greene (Oviedo, Fla.) followed with one of his own in the very next at-bat, extending the lead to three and forcing a Panama pitching change.

Witt Jr. then roped an RBI-double to center to score Volpe from third base and Tyler Callihan (Neptune Beach, Fla.) and C.J. Abrams (Alpharetta, Ga.) both hit RBI-singles to put the U.S. ahead 7-0. Corbin Carroll (Seattle, Wash.) then delivered the big blow in the inning, hitting a two-out, three-run homer to right-centerfield to give Team USA a 10-run advantage.

The stars and stripes scored another two runs in both the third and fourth innings. Witt Jr. once again got the offense started, leading off the third with a triple to left field, and later scored on a groundout by Callihan. Yohandy Morales (Miami, Fla.) then followed with his second home run of the tournament. Witt Jr. completed the cycle in the bottom of the fourth inning with a two-RBI home run to left field, giving the U.S. a 14-0 lead after four.

Team USA scored its last three runs of the game in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a two-RBI double by Pete Crow-Armstrong (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) and Carroll's fourth RBI of the day on a groundout to the first baseman for a 17-1 lead.

Panama scratched another run across the plate in the top of the ninth inning for the final score of 17-2. Collectively, the U.S. pitching staff struck out 14 batters on the day and surrendered just three hits and one earned run.

The U.S. squad was dominant offensively throughout the tournament, outscoring its opponents 131-27 in nine games. The 131 runs scored is the most an 18U National Team has ever scored in an international tournament.

Witt Jr. was named the tournament MVP and he also picked up the best slugger and highest batting average awards after hitting .576 with three doubles, three triples, three home runs and 18 RBI in nine games. In addition to Witt Jr.'s honors, six members of the stars and stripes brought home extra hardware. Carroll received the honor for most stolen bases, Greene received awards for the most RBI and home runs, while Volpe earned the award for most runs scored.

QUOTESUSA Baseball 18U National Team Manager Jack Leggett(On winning the U-18 Pan-American Championship)
"I'm really proud of the way we played. We did all of the things we needed to do to win. We pitched extremely well and had timely hits. We really swung the bats as well as I have ever seen. We played great defense and ran the bases extremely aggressively. I'm just proud to be their coach and we showed what USA Baseball is all about. We were head and shoulders above the others. Proud of how we finished out the tournament."

USA Baseball 18U National Team Director Matt Blood(On winning the U-18 Pan-American Championship)
"I'm really proud of this team and what we accomplished this year. We overcame some hurdles to get where we are, but the guys played really hard and played the game the right way. We scored a lot of runs and they made a pretty strong statement this year. I am proud of what they accomplished."

Team USA Concludes Super Round With Win

CHITRE, Panama - Team USA used six home runs to power past Nicaragua 12-3 as the squad wrapped up Super Round play at the COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championships on Saturday at Rico Cedeno Stadium in Chitre, Panama.

With the win, the team improved to 8-0 overall in the tournament and 5-0 in Super Round play.

Team USA got off to a fast start as Riley Greene (Oviedo, Fla.) hit a two-RBI home run in the first inning to give the U.S. a 2-0 lead.

Nicaragua answered in the top of the third to cut the lead to one before the stars and stripes busted the game wide open in the bottom half. With runners on second and third, Corbin Carroll (Seattle, Wash.) hit the team's second homer of the game. Two batters later, Greene knocked his second dinger of the day to extend the lead to 6-1.

In the fourth, Dylan Crews (Longwood, Fla.) joined the action with a two-RBI homer of his own to give Team USA an 8-1 lead. Another solo shot, this time by Bobby Witt Jr. (Colleyville, Texas), gave the team its fifth home run of the day and a 9-1 advantage.

Nicaragua added its second run in the sixth inning before Tyler Callihan (Neptune Beach, Fla.) hit Team USA's sixth homer of the afternoon in the bottom of the seventh.

After Nicaragua plated a run in the eighth inning, Carroll hit an RBI-triple down the right field line for the final score of 12-3.

Starting pitcher Brennan Malone (Matthews, N.C.) earned his second win of the tournament after hurling three innings and punching out three. Jared Kelley (Refugio, Texas) pitched four innings in relief, striking out two before Sammy Faltine (Richmond, Texas) came in to close the game.

Up next, the United States (8-0; 5-0) will take on the host country, Panama (7-1; 4-1), in the gold medal game of the COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championships on Sunday, December 2. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET at Rico Cedeno Stadium in Chitre, Panama.

Team USA Clinches Place In Gold Medal Game With Win

CHITRE, Panama - Starting pitcher Riley Cornelio's (Monument, Colo.) solid outing on the mound pushed Team USA past Venezuela 12-1 in game three of the Super Round at the COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championships on Friday at Rico Cedeno Stadium in Chitre, Panama. The stars and stripes are now 4-0 in Super Round play.

With the win, the U.S. clinched a spot in Sunday's gold medal game and qualified for the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup.

Venezuela got on the board first early in the game, scoring its lone run in the top of the first. Cornelio settled in after that though, pitching five shutout innings while only allowing three hits.

Venezuela's lead didn't last long as Team USA answered with three runs of its own in the bottom half of the first. RBI singles by Anthony Volpe (Watchung, N.J.), Riley Greene (Oviedo, Fla.) and Tyler Callihan (Neptune Beach, Fla.) gave the U.S. a 3-1 lead that it never relinquished.

Two more runs came across for Team USA in the second inning when Yohandy Morales (Miami, Fla.) scored on a groundout and Volpe singled through the right side to score Pete Crow-Armstrong (Sherman Oaks, Calif.). The stars and stripes added another a run in the third inning after an RBI single from Drew Romo (The Woodlands, Texas) to extend the lead to 6-1.

In the fourth frame, Greene recorded his second RBI of the day with a single that scored Carroll to give the U.S. a 7-1 advantage. The stars and stripes then plated five runs in the fifth when Volpe notched his third and fourth RBI with a single and Witt Jr. roped a two-RBI triple before Callihan plated Witt for the final score of 12-1.

Volpe led the way offensively with four RBI and three hits. Cornelio (2-0) earned the win for his efforts on the mound while allowing just five hits and striking out three. Max Rajcic (Fullerton, Calif.) entered the game in relief in the top of the seventh and final inning to close out the game, striking out one batter.

The United States (7-0; 4-0) will wrap up the Super Round of the COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championships against Nicaragua (4-3; 1-2) on Saturday, December 1. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. ET at Rico Cedeno Stadium in Chitre, Panama.

Continue to follow @USABaseball18U on Twitter and visit USABaseball.com for the most up-to-date news about the 18U National Team.

Team USA Improves to 3-0 in Super Round

CHITRE, Panama - Starting pitcher Avery Short (Indianapolis, Ind.) opened the game with six shutout innings as Team USA bested Canada 11-2 to continue Super Round play in the COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championships on Thursday at Rico Cedeno Stadium in Chitre, Panama.

With the win, the stars and stripes improved to 3-0 in the Super Round and are the lone remaining undefeated team in the tournament.

Team USA jumped out to a hot start, scoring two runs in the first inning. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the frame, Riley Greene (Oviedo, Fla.) reached base on a fielder's choice that scored C.J. Abrams (Alpharetta, Ga.) for the first run of the contest. Corbin Carroll (Seattle, Wash.) then scored on a throwing error by Canada to give the red, white and blue a 2-0 lead.

The bats stayed hot for the U.S. in the second inning as Anthony Volpe (Watchung, N.J.) hit a two-RBI single up the middle to push the lead to 4-0. Greene then hit a double down the right-field line to score Volpe, before Bobby Witt Jr. (Colleyville, Texas) hit an RBI single through the middle to extend the lead to 6-0.

The score would stay the same until the bottom of the sixth inning when Team USA added four more runs for a 10-0 advantage. With men on second and third, Pete Crow-Armstrong (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) singled to center field to clear the bases. In the next at-bat, Drew Romo (The Woodlands, Texas) capped the scoring with a two-run homer to right-center field.

With six scoreless innings of work under his belt, Short stepped on the mound in the seventh, where he pitched one out, before giving up two runs to cut the lead to 10-2. Timmy Manning (Pompano Beach, Fla.) completed the final two outs of the inning before Tyler Callihan (Neptune Beach, Fla.) closed the game with three scoreless innings of relief.

Team USA added its final run of the game in the bottom of the eighth when Crow-Armstrong scored on a wild pitch to make the final score 11-2.

Witt Jr. led the team offensively with four hits in five plate appearances on the day. A trio of players scored three runs to pace the squad, while Greene led the team with three RBI. Short (2-0) earned the win on the mound, striking out four batters on the day.

The United States (6-0; 3-0) will continue the Super Round of the COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championships against Venezuela (3-1; 1-2) on Friday, November 20. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. ET at Rico Cedeno Stadium in Chitre, Panama.

Team USA Wins Thriller Over Panama

CHITRE, Panama - After facing its first deficit of the tournament, Team USA rallied to drop the host country Panama, 9-8 to open Super Round play of the COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championships on Wednesday at Rico Cedeno Stadium in Chitre, Panama.

Riley Greene (Oviedo, Fla.) opened the scoring when he singled through the right side as Corbin Carroll (Seattle, Wash.) crossed the plate to give Team USA a 1-0 lead. Anthony Volpe (Watchung, N.J.) then added a run after an error by Panama as the stars and stripes jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first.

The lead did not last long, however, as Panama plated four in the top of the second, prompting the U.S. to go to Ryan Hawks (Bowling Green, Kent.) out of the bullpen. With a runner at first and still no outs in the inning, Hawks forced a double play and a grounder to end the inning.

With Team USA facing its first deficit of the tournament, it scored three runs in the bottom of the third to regain the lead 5-4. Bobby Witt Jr. (Colleyville, Texas) drove in the first run of the inning with an RBI-double to right field. In the next at-bat, Tyler Callihan (Neptune Beach, Fla.) reached on an error as Witt Jr. scored to even the game. Drew Romo (The Woodlands, Texas) followed with an RBI-single to right field to retake the lead.

After Panama scored a run in the fourth to tie the game, Team USA added three runs in the home half of the inning to regain its advantage. Greene continued his hot streak with an RBI-double to the right side to plate Carroll. With the bases loaded, the stars and stripes scored two more runs on a hit by pitch and a walk to take the lead, 8-5.

The red, white and blue added its final run of the game when Carroll hit a no-doubt home run in the bottom of the fifth to extend the lead to 9-5.

In the seventh, Panama trimmed the lead to 9-8 and forced a U.S. pitching change. Jacob Meador (Burleson, Texas) came into the game to relieve Hawks and was stellar in his three innings of relief, earning the save while striking out four. With the Panamanian crowd buzzing in the top of the ninth as the game-tying runner at the plate, Meador sat Panama down in order to end the game.

For his efforts, Hawks (1-0) earned the win on the mound, striking out two batters in five innings pitched. All nine batters earned a hit in the contest for Team USA, while four players led the team with two apiece. Carroll paced the team with three runs scored on the day.

The United States (5-0) will continue the Super Round of the COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championships against Canada (4-1) on Thursday, November 29. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. ET at Rico Cedeno Stadium in Chitre, Panama.

Team USA Earns Win to Stay Perfect In Pool Play

SANTIAGO DE VERAGUAS, Panama - Team USA used a 13-6 win over the Dominican Republic to clinch the No. 1 overall seed in the Super Round of the COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championships on Wednesday at Estadio Omar Torrijos Herrera in Santiago de Veraguas, Panama.

Brennan Malone (Matthews, N.C.) got the start on the mound for the U.S. and opened the game with four shutout innings, striking out four while allowing just three hits.

After a scoreless start to the contest for both teams, the stars and stripes exploded for five runs in the bottom of the third to take a commanding lead. The first run of the afternoon came on an RBI-double down the left field line by Anthony Volpe (Watchung, N.J.) that scored Drew Romo (The Woodlands, Texas). Riley Greene (Oviedo, Fla.) then stepped up to the plate with two runners on base and hit a three-run home run to deep left-center field to give the U.S. squad a 4-0 advantage. On the very next at-bat, Bobby Witt Jr. (Colleyville, Texas) got in on the fun, hitting a solo homer to right field to extend the lead to 5-0.

The bats stayed hot in the fourth as Team USA added four more runs in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by an RBI-double to right field by Romo. The four runs gave the U.S. squad a 9-0 lead going into the fifth before Romo continued his strong offensive day and pushed the lead to double digits with an RBI-single to right field in the sixth.

The Dominican Republic scored its first runs of the day in the top of the sixth, cutting the lead to 10-4 before Corbin Carroll (Seattle, Wash.) scored on a balk in the bottom half to get one back for the U.S. and make the score 11-4. After both teams went scoreless in the seventh, the Dominican Republic added another run in the top of the eighth to cut the deficit to six.

In the bottom of the inning, C.J. Abrams (Alpharetta, Ga.) hit a single up the middle and sped around the bases to score on a three-base error by the Dominican Republic center fielder. Two more runs in the inning for Team USA made the score 13-5 going into the final frame. Tyler Callihan (Neptune Beach, Fla.) took the mound to close the game out in the top of the ninth and, despite the Dominican Republic pushing one across on an error, secured the 13-6 win.

Volpe and Callihan each registered three hits to lead the team on the day. Greene paced the team with three RBI in the game. Malone (1-0) earned the win on the mound for the U.S. while Max Rajcic (Fullerton, Calif.) struck out five in 2.2 innings of relief.

The United States will begin the Super Round of the COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championships against the host country, Panama, on Wednesday, November 28. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET at Rico Cedeno Stadium in Chitre, Panama.

Team USA Clinches Spot in Super Round with Win

SANTIAGO DE VERAGUAS, Panama - Jack Leiter (Summit, N.J.) threw four innings and struck out 11 as the U.S. continued pool play at the COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championships on Monday, with a 15-5 win over Brazil at Estadio Omar Torrijos Herrera in Santiago de Veraguas, Panama.

Team USA's offense fired on all cylinders early, as Tyler Callihan (Neptune Beach, Fla.) cleared the bases with a three-RBI single to right field in the top of the first to take an early 3-0 lead. Leiter followed that by striking out the side in the bottom of the first to kick off his strong start on the mound.

After a scoreless second inning for the U.S. squad, Brazil scored two runs in the bottom half to cut the lead to 3-2. The two runs scored by Brazil snapped a streak of 11 consecutive scoreless innings by Team USA's defense and pitching staff to begin the tournament.

The stars and stripes didn't waste time responding as they added three more runs in the top of the third to make the score 6-2. After three more punch outs for Leiter in the bottom half of the third, the U.S. bats once again got hot in the fourth. Riley Greene (Oviedo, Fla.) singled to right field to score Pete Crow-Armstrong (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) and Anthony Volpe (Watchung, N.J.) and give the team an 8-2 lead. Drew Romo (The Woodlands, Texas) then got in on the action with a double to left field that plated Greene and Callihan, who drew a walk earlier in the inning, to make it 10-2 in favor of Team USA.

With the team leading 10-2, Leiter once again struck out three Brazilian batters in a scoreless bottom of the fourth. A double by Volpe and another single by Greene drove in two more runs in the fifth to pad the lead to 12-2.

After giving up three runs in the bottom of the fifth, Team USA immediately followed with its final three runs of the game in the sixth inning highlighted by a two-RBI double from C.J. Abrams (Alpharetta, Ga.), for the final score of 15-5.

Leiter (1-0) pitched four innings in the win for Team USA, giving up two unearned runs and ammassing 11 strikeouts. Sammy Faltine (Richmond, Texas) came on in relief for the red, white and blue in the fifth inning and struck out three batters in four innings.

The United States will close pool play of the COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championships against the Dominican Republic on Tuesday, November 26, with the winner of the game securing the No. 1 seed out of Pool A. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. ET at Estadio Omar Torrijos Herrera in Santiago de Veraguas, Panama.

Team USA Takes Down Peru

SANTIAGO DE VERAGUAS, Panama - Team USA continued pool play at the COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championships on Saturday, November 24, with a dominating 26-0 victory over Peru at Estadio Omar Torrijos Herrera in Santiago de Veraguas, Panama.

The win marks the second consecutive shutout for Team USA. The team has outscored its opponents 38-0 in its opening two games.

The stars and stripes began the game by plating three runs in the first inning. Anthony Volpe (Watchung, N.J.) drove in the first run with a single as Corbin Carroll (Seattle, Wash.) came home to score. After Riley Greene (Oviedo, Fla.) was hit by a pitch in the next at-bat, Bobby Witt Jr. (Colleyville, Texas) hit a single to bring home Volpe. Team USA scored its final run of the inning when Greene scored on a wild pitch.

Avery Short (Indianapolis, Ind.) shut down Peru's offense in the bottom of the first with a one-two-three inning before the U.S. scored six runs in the top of the second. After the team extended its lead to 6-0 to start the inning, Witt Jr. continued the scoring with an RBI-triple to left field before Tyler Callihan (Neptune Beach, Fla.) hit the team's second home run of the tournament to give the U.S. a 9-0 advantage.

Team USA kept the momentum rolling into the third inning when its offense exploded for 12 runs in the inning on seven hits. Callihan's bat stayed hot as he came through with a triple that notched his second RBI of the game. Witt Jr., Volpe, Greene and Pete Crow-Armstrong (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) each recorded RBI doubles in the inning. The U.S. squad added five more runs in the fourth to extend its lead to 26-0.

Five pitchers combined for the shutout, allowing just two hits and striking out nine. Starting pitcher Short (1-0) picked up the win for the stars and stripes.

Offensively, the team amassed 18 hits on the day, led by Carroll, Volpe and Witt Jr. with three hits each. Witt Jr. led the team with five RBI while Carroll and Volpe led the team in runs scored after crossing the plate four times apiece.

Team USA will have an off day on Sunday, November 25, before continuing pool play at the COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championships against Brazil on Monday, November 26. First pitch against Brazil is set for 2 p.m. ET at Estadio Omar Torrijos Herrera in Santiago, Panama.

Team USA Blanks Honduras

SANTIAGO, Panama - Team USA overpowered Honduras 16-0 in a shortened, five-inning game at the COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championships on Friday, November 23, at Estadio Omar Torrijos Herrera in Santiago, Panama.

The pitching throughout the game was stout as starting pitcher Jacob Meador (Burleson, Texas) threw four innings and only allowed one hit. Meador also struck out 10 straight batters from the last out in the first inning through the fourth inning. Brennan Malone (Matthews, Texas) closed the game in the fifth inning, with a strikeout.

Riley Greene (Oviedo, Fla.) opened the scoring for the U.S. with an RBI-double down the line to score Anthony Volpe (Watchung, N.J.) in the bottom of the first. Tyler Callihan (Neptune Beach, Fla.) then doubled to center field to bring home Greene and Bobby Witt Jr. (Colleyville, Texas), who reached base on a walk. Callihan would later score on a wild pitch to make the score 4-0 after the first inning.

Team USA's offense exploded in the second inning, scoring seven runs to extend the lead to 11-0. The U.S. added three runs to begin the bottom of the inning before Yohandy Morales (Miami, Fla.) hit a home run deep to right field to add two more on the board. Drew Romo (The Woodlands, Texas) scored the final run in the frame on a single to center by Pete Crow-Armstong (Sherman Oaks, Calif.). In total, the team amassed six hits in the second inning, including two doubles and a home run.

After a scoreless third, the stars and stripes began the fourth inning with three consecutive hits to score two runs early in the inning. The U.S. squad added three more runs before closing out the bottom of the fourth, to make the score, 16-0.

In the fifth, Malone struck out two batters and forced a groundout before the game was called in the fifth due to the run rule. Callihan led the team offensively on the day with three hits and five RBI. Witt Jr. scored three runs in the game to lead the U.S. In total, nine different players recorded the team's 15 hits in the game.

Up next, Team USA will continue pool play of the COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championships against Peru on Saturday, November 24, at Estadio Omar Torrijos Herrera in Santiago, Panama. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. ET.